Method of operating oil wells



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" Patented Nee-s, 1912's. i

A Usiiao s'rergss 'P-ieT-ENT GFF-i-CE.

nlizowlaan-or manners, "new nssmn'oa ro srm m coma-1w, a "coaroae'rronor nmwm men 02' cremains on.

Application meg! lug-mt 8, 1920. :Scrinl ms. 402,334..

This invention relates to a method. of-

10 operatin exhaust-ed oil wells and is fully. describe in the fcllowing specificntion. and

shown in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure 1 is evertical sectional view-of Ln 1 oilwell-and Figure 2 is e-plan view of this oil well showing its relation to surroun d-. in oil wells. l have illustrated as an embodm-ient of my invention a. central oil well extending from the surface of the round downwardly and terminating it the otom in a blasted out pocket 11. The well casing isc'los'ed at the-top by means of acap 12. A; pipe 13 4 extends thru this cover and connects the top of the well casing with the air pump.

14', whichmay be or any desired form.

A pipe 15 passes thru the cover 12 and extends preferably beyond thewell casing 10 and into the pocket net the bottom.

- This pipe is connected to a gas pump or compreemor 16 which receives gas from any ,suit-able source of supply.

An insulated wire 17 passes down the well and terminates in a. resistance element 18 near the lower-end ofith e gzis'pipe 15. This wire is supplied with current trom any suitnbesource 19.1

In Fig. 21s shown a lan view of the I central well 'lfi-surrounde by a number ofnear-by wells, ,s' uch as 20, 2 1, 22 and 23,

which preferably go down to the same stratum of oil bearing sand. These snz rounding wells have pumps 24 which are.-

heated resistance element. An increasedpre$ure is thus exerted in the pocket 11,

due to the action of the pump, and to the expansion of the burning gases. The pressure thus generated forces the burned gases out thru the walls of the pocket liinto the 'surroundin r oil bearing sand and this gas eventually Ends its way to the surroundin wells 20, 21,.etc. tcmether with some oi vapors with which it lics become saturated. After combustion i 15 once been started and the walls. of the pocket 11 become heated, combustion will in some cases be maintained without further. use of the igniter l8. Owing to the presence too of the combustible oil and the-residue left in the sand from the distillation or eva ration of the oil, it will not he neccessar'y in many of the oily constituents which would then move away from the central well as yapor to recondense in tlieco'oler sand beyond,

thus tending to super-saturate the outlying sands and permit recoveryof li uid oil fr m thenexghboring well. This action will take place ina progressive fashion as-the zone of "combustion sweeps outwardlv from the central well. In addition to the boiling and distilling action of the oil in the surrounding sands which'would progress outwardly,- as these became heated fartherfromthe' central well, the hen-ted products of combustion pumped from the-outer wells carry a high content of oil vapors. which are recoverable by well known methods Of'absorption and condensation- While I h'ave s'ho-wu and described but a' single embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it capable of many modifications. Changes therefore in the construction and arrangement may be" made :which do not depart from the spirit and scope oi my invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to cover as osible, in .view of the prior art.

\Vhat I claim as new'an'd desire to seen by Letters Patent is 1. The method of 'opemtirig-oil wells consisting obiclosing the top of'a central well,

pumping air and e combustible gas into said well. producing combustion therein and pumping-the sm'rolm'ding this invention as broadly loo . pumpmg a cqz'nbustible fipd into the bottom l0 of he we-lhfp'x' iidh'chg zi'z'nbustion thgrei-n,

' and umping-the surroundingwells.

a 4. lhe' method'of o'pemfing ail zwplls c om sis'ting of'clbsing the top'of a. centz al well,

air intqfl m bopof the we}! casing, pinn mg a .combustibla fluid di'zfecfly am ,the' mof the wgll pmducingmombus tiomth'ereip, .gmi mnpm ih surrounding.

wannalls.

5. The method of opmting nil wfls consisting of'closing the top of a fentral we;

pumpmg air into'thetop of the well casng, u-mping a combustiblg fluid d'iregtly yaw} e boittom'of the wen; rpducing comb ustwn therein by meahs'o hot Wit-G i 'nitmniand p gii-npip- Lhasunoundin we! 5.

- FRANK 1L HOWARD;

Ii 4 I 

